red
by whimsyappletea
Summary: "I love you." —he may have caught her in his web, but she's never been his to keep. Len, rin, yuma.


**a/n:** this was initially written for day 28 of my 30 day nsfw otp challenge back in august, but scrapped for an entirely different piece later on aha ;;

its shorter and subpar compared to my usual standards, and id meant to expand this idea and write a longer second-person piece in lens pov... but after tinkering and editing and adding to an originally 100-odd word drabble for so long i just - ugh, this is it guys im done _im outttttt_

ive been having a really writers block this month and its frustrating because its affecting my schoolwork too so yes we are stuck with this for now hhhhhh

loosely based off the song _flower and butterfly and spider_, and the story is intentionally vague so enjoy ye ;m;)/

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"I love you," she says, peering up at him through her lashes. Her dress swishes against her ankles, a deep maroon that brings out the colour of her eyes. The air is still, as though the whole manor is watching them with bated breath, waiting for him to react.

After all, this is what he's been working towards, right? To win over her love, no matter what it takes, no matter who stands in his way.

To be as cunning and ruthless as the prince he's been raised to be.

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**red**  
><em>i kiss the scales of its trembling wings,<br>and we gently become entwined._

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"I love you, Len-sama," she repeats softly. Earnest. Kind. Almost too much to bear.

Without thinking, he takes one step forward, two steps, _three_—and crushes her in his embrace. He's held the girl in his arms so many times now, with the crown of her head tucked under his chin and his hands ghosting over her hips. It's a perfect fit, as they should be.

_Listen to my heartbeat_, he wants to tell her, to beg her. _Can't you tell it beats for you?_

"No, you don't," Len tells her instead, even though the words burn his throat with a bitter tang, threatening to set him ablaze. It aches to say it, pushes the dagger deeper into what's left of his heart, but he is anything but a fool. "You can't possible mean that, when you're in love with _him_."

_Him_ being the one who stays in the shadows, solemn yet gentle. _Him_ being the one who'd sworn to protect the prince with his life, who'd given in to his cruel orders to keep away from her. _Him_ being the one lucky enough to have met her first, to have loved her first.

To be the one she chose to love in return.

Rin finally, carefully lowers her gaze, lowers her head. She does not dare to refute the prince and chooses to remain silent, but Len thinks her eyes alone have given her away.

Those blessed blue eyes that have always drawn him in with their expressiveness, ever since he first saw her from across the ballroom, at the party that started it all.

Those damnable blue eyes that crinkle around the edges when she talks to his knight, yet never failed to blaze through Len's soul in defiance when cornered.

And that's just the root of the problem, isn't it? He's nothing but a greedy spider, mindlessly tearing a simple boy and girl apart, unable to supress his desire to capture her, to take her as _his_.

There's no one in the world who'll love such a twisted spider, let alone a delicate, pretty little butterfly like Rin.

Butterflies as lovely as her can only be attracted to flowers, dark, handsome flowers whose smiles are rare and fleeting but right there within reach, it's so easy, just stick your hand out and _reach_.

Yuma is one such flower, and he's seen the way Rin has looked at him, with eyes soft and glittering like stars.

That same look has driven him mad with jealousy, mad because she's _his_, dammit, why does his knight of all people get the one girl he's ever truly fallen for? And of all the men that he could have beheaded with the snap of his fingers for stealing her away, why does she love _him_ in return?

His thoughts are maddening, so very maddening, blooming in his chest and overflowing in splinters of red, but now—oh, perhaps _now_, after everything he's put them through, Len is finally starting to understand.

There's something precious about the relationship they have, the love they share long before the boy has ever entered in the picture, and he's not cruel enough to shatter it to nothing.

His father would've shook his head in disapproval at this change of heart, clicked his tongue. Would've told him, _You're weak, boy. After all I've done for you, after all these years, you still haven't learnt a thing._

_You're as useless as that wretched mother of yours._

Useless he may be, but not _heartless_, at least.

He's already done enough damage as it is.

Len lifts her chin and presses his lips to hers, allowing himself to be selfish once more just for a while, just for a moment, the kiss tasting of wanting and _'what-could-have-been'_s.

And then he pulls away before she can return his kiss, squaring his shoulders and schooling his features. Discreetly he balls his hands up into fists as they fall back to his sides, fighting back the urge to pull her close and kiss her again, and again, and again—

"_Go_," the boy orders, nudging her towards the open doors none-too-gently. That idiotically loyal knight of his can't be too far ahead; he should be just preparing the carriages to leave now. "Go after Yuma before he leaves for good."

Rin hesitates. Reaches both hands up to cup his face, whispering something to him before walking off. She turns back once to offer him a soft, brittle smile he doesn't know how to interpret, and hurries off in a billow of red shades.

He watches her figure as it grows smaller and smaller, until it disappears around the corner. Their kiss still lingers on his lips, and her breathed words echo in his head, sweet as honey, faraway like a dream:

_I love you, Len, I really do._

Len closes his eyes. What would telling him that possibly accomplish? He wants to punch a hole in the wall and forget what she'd said; he wants to run after her and stream kisses in her hair.

Instead he exhales, slowly clenching and unclenching his hands, as if reluctant to let go.

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_on the thread of insoluble love,  
>it is left entangled, continuing to struggle.<em>

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**owari.**

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**disclaimer:** i do not own Vocaloid, or Kagamine Len, Rin and VY2's _Butterfly and Flower and Spider_.


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